What are some ways to get into shape while leading a busy life?

[justlilly]

I work full time and go to school full time. It is hard and I am busy all the time and often don't get the proper amount of sleep because I am working or studying or in class or perhaps trying to have what little of a social life I can.

Often, I have to sleep for a few hours whenever I find time. Other times, I have to replace sleep with food (somehow this works). I realize that none of this is healthy for me and could be a part of my problem of slowly getting out of shape.

Also, part of it may be due to having to eat at work for the past year or so. The restaurant that I worked at didn't really have any healthy food choices.

I don't really have time for the gym, I barely even have time to sleep with everything I already have going on. I tried doing Insanity and P90X, but it didn't work out so well. I have had asthma all of my life, but I have recently had to start using inhalers all the time. It was really hard on me because I am still dealing with getting everything sorted out with the inhalers. Also, I think I need to get into a little better shape to even get results from a workout like that.

I now work at a place that isn't open quite as late, which is better for my sleep. I have been trying to get back into a normal sleep pattern and have made some progress toward that.

I have tried not eating after 6pm or whatever, but it doesn't work. I have to go to work at 4pm most days, so if I eat before work, I feel horribly sick when I wake up because it has been too long since I last ate.

[islands7]

Always WALK everywhere

climb stairs

don't sit when standing/walking is possible

It's just that simple on the burning calories side.

More is better.

You seem to grasp well the calories intake side.

Less is better

More frequent is better

[justlilly]

I don't own a car, so I already walk everywhere.

I think I actually need to utilize my nutrition knowledge. It is just hard to eat healthy things when I need the food to replace the energy I am not getting from sleep.

[Brando]

Go to the gym after work or class. I also work full time and go to school full time, and I have time to get in the gym, eat normally, do whatever homework I need, hang out with friends, etc.

[justlilly]

How many hours per week do you work ? How many credits do you take in school and what year are you? I am a junior in a really intense program so I literally have time for nothing except studying and work. Also I have to walk to the gym and it is pretty far from my house so by the time I get there I have no time to work out and I don't even get off of work until 10:30pm anyway.

[Brando]

Most of the time, I work for the full 40 hours a week and I take 12 credit hours (but my school is a little bit different with all that stuff).

[justlilly]

I work 40 hours and take 18 hours.

[Brando]

How many days a week? Until what time? What do your weekends look like?

[justlilly]

I go to school until 8:30pm 2 days a week. I work until 10:30pm every other day. On weekends, I work two shifts, so 10am-10pm. Sometimes on the days I don't go to school I work 2 shifts as well.

[Brando]

So there's no way to go after those 2 8:30 days (when you aren't working, which if you can afford it you should resist taking shifts so you can have time for life)?

Is your gym open 24-hours? My gym closes at 11 (I think) and I imagine most non-24 hour gyms do as well.

And lastly, you could hit the gym before or after work on the weekends, couldn't you?

[justlilly]

The school gym is a good hour walk from my job and 45 minutes from my house. After workingall day I don't feel like walking for an hour to work out and then walk an hour back home just go immediately try to go to sleep so I can get maybe 6 or 7 hours of rest and go back to work the next day. On days that I have class I have to do homework after school and get to bed by midnight so I am not exhausted at work the next day.

[justlilly]

Unfortunately I have to pay a lot of my tuition out of my pocket this semester because I didn't get enough financial aid. Add that to the bills I have to pay each month and the only way to pay for all of it is to work all the time. It sucks but it is what I have to do.

[Brando]

Then I think your options now are to workout outside the gym. Go to some big steps on campus and do stair-steppers up and down them. Get into jogging, do something active and intensive like that. If you're trying to maintain or lose weight, then I'm sure you already know about calorie intake and all that business. You're going to have to improvise with the environment around you.

[Xx_DRE_xX]

Eat small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours to keep your Metabolism burning, according to the calorie intake you need to feed your body.

Walking, Stair climbing, or biking would help.